Female Hiker Dies in Great Smoky Mountains Park

A hike on one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park ended in tragedy over the weekend. Rangers say a 65-year-old woman fell about 60 feet to her death on Saturday from a cliff along Alum Cave Trail, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. Her name has not been released as officials work to notify relatives. The trail is well used because it provides access to the popular Mount LeConte, notes WLVT.

The national park is located along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, and its website notes that while it sees fatalities every year, most are from car crashes and drownings. One review ranked Great Smoky Mountains fourth among the nation's most dangerous national parks, with 104 deaths recorded from mid-2013 to mid-2023, more than a third of them tied to vehicle wrecks.